Robots in industry: a shift towards autonomous and intelligent systems in the digital age

Robotics and autonomous systems (RAS) are playing an increasingly important role across a wide range of industries and applications. Certainly, the definition of robots have expanded drastically and is no longer used to describe only traditional preprogrammed manipulators that have been commonplace in many manufacturing areas. The world is beginning to shift to an era where robots possess higher levels of autonomy, intelligence and adaptability, enabling them to cope with dynamic and challenging environments. This has created an excellent opportunity for smarter robotic systems to be exploited for applications in industrial environments. In this note, we discuss the emerging shift of robotics and its implications in the digital age. We focus particularly on applications within industrial settings, giving our perspectives on future advancements with people and automation working together as an underlying theme.